1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus forming a garage door bolt with a stationary safety cover. Specifically, the invention relates to a sliding bolt for a garage door or the like using a padlock to lock the sliding bolt in position.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is common to use a sliding bolt for locking a garage door or the like and with the sliding bolt retained in either an open or closed position by the use of a padlock. A common structure has the bolt captured for sliding by flanges extending from a back plate. The back plate is mounted to the garage door and the extending flanges include openings to receive the bolt for sliding between the open and closed positions. A hasp is attached to the bolt and the hasp cooperates with another member extending from the back plate which other member has an opening to receive a bale portion of a padlock so as to lock the hasp and thereby the sliding bolt in position.
The type of padlock generally used for locking the bolt in position includes a U-shaped bale, the ends of which are slidably received in the body of the padlock. One end of the bale includes a hook and with the hook latched within the padlock body to retain the bale in the locked position. There are unfortunately a number of methods of breaking the padlock to thereby release the sliding bolt from the locked position. One method is to use a bolt cutter to cut the bale and thereby release the padlock. Another method is to use a hammer and punch against the padlock body to thereby unlatch the hook within the padlock body to in turn open the padlock and allow the sliding bolt to be opened.
In the past, rotatable covers have been provided for the sliding bolt mechanisms to attempt to cover at least the bale portion of the padlock to thereby prevent access to the bale portion so that the padlock will be protected from undesired tampering. The prior art rotatable covers have been generally cumbersome in construction and complicated in design and use. As an example, reference is made to prior art U.S. Pat. No. 3,953,062 issued Apr. 27, 1976 and listing John F. Maston as inventor. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,953,062, a rotating cover is attached to the sliding bolt. The rotating cover includes a bale support member which cooperates with a second bale support member attached to a back plate. The bale of the padlock passes through both bale support members to lock the sliding bolt in the locked position. In order to release the sliding bolt, the padlock must be removed and the sliding bolt and cover member rotated upward before the bolt can be slid to the open position. The cover plate is therefore not stationary and forms a part of the actual bolt sliding mechanism.
Another prior art sliding bolt with a protective cover also includes a rotating cover which must be rotated upward before the sliding bolt can be released. This type of structure is based on the simple sliding bolt and hasp structure described above. In this structure, the protective cover includes flange members which have openings through which the bolt can slide. The protective cover may therefore be rotated independent of any movement of the sliding bolt but this structure is also cumbersome and complicated in construction and difficult to use because of the necessity of rotating the cover before the bolt mechanism can be slid.